(CNN) - Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he will "think about" running for president in 2012 if his father, Republican Texas Rep. Ron Paul, decides not to launch a bid.

"The only decision that I've made is that I won't run against my father," Paul said Thursday speaking to the Louisville, Kentucky Rotary Club. "If he does not run, I have not ruled it out and I will think about it."FULL POST

(TIME)-On Feb. 11, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, his wife and three aides flew in a luxury jet to Washington for a weekend of politicking, including an appearance on Fox News Sunday and a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. "Our problem is not that we tax too little," Barbour told the gathering. "It's that we spend too much."

The potential presidential contender may have another problem: Mississippi taxpayers paid the tab for Barbour's first-class travel. State documents obtained by TIME show that Mississippi shelled out $7,020 to shuttle Barbour and his entourage to and from D.C. on its Cessna Citation, a cost that Barbour says is justified by state work he did in D.C. over the same weekend.

(CNN) - An iconic New York City bridge will soon have a new name, paying tribute to the city's charismatic former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch.

The city council voted 38 to 12 Wednesday to rename the Queensboro Bridge the "Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge." Koch rose to national prominence during his twelve years as mayor of the Big Apple during the 1970's and 1980's.FULL POST

(CNN) - Three guys named Joe are teaming up to try and help defeat one guy named Barack.

The Joes, three figures popular among many conservatives, are Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, 2010 GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller of Alaska and Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known during the 2008 presidential campaign as "Joe the Plumber."FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Politics is serious business - but not all the time.

Is someone trying to tell you something?

You know that paranoid fantasy that you'll get back to your job from vacation and find out they've changed the lock on your office? Well, it wasn't quite that bad for President Obama, but almost, CNN White House Producer Lesa Jansen writes.Full Story

(CNN) - A plurality of California voters say they'd be inclined to vote to re-elect Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein next year, according to a new poll.

A Field Poll released Thursday indicates that by a 46 to 42 percent margin, California voters say they'd be inclined to vote to re-elect Feinstein next year when she runs for a fourth full term in office. Twelve percent of those questioned were unsure.FULL POST

(CNN) Thirty years ago this month, John Hinckley Jr. came within inches of killing President Reagan. CNN’s special investigation of the shooting airs this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, unveiling rarely-seen evidence from the failed assassination, including these photos from the crime scene.